The Scottish Government budgeted £25.2 million in loan support to the end of March 2016 for Glasgow Prestwick Airport.

We have made it clear throughout the process that additional loan funding, beyond that initially set out, may be required to turn the business around and return it to the private sector.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport published their Strategic Vision in October 2014. This built upon a business plan that was developed by a senior adviser and included as much of his work as possible without impinging on commercial confidentiality and the airport’s ability to operate commercially. Glasgow Prestwick Airport is finalising a new 5 year Strategic Plan for 2017 – 2022 now and this will be published shortly.

The budget for 2016-17 approves loan support of £9.3 million for Glasgow Prestwick Airport. The draft budget for 2017-18 allocates loan support of £9.4 million.

We plan to approve the amount of loan funding required in future years through the approval of the airport’s business plan for that year.

As we have made clear since acquiring the airport in 2013, it is the Scottish Government’s intention to return the airport to the private sector when the time is right. No timescale has been set.

Yes. These accounts were also laid before Parliament and are available on the Prestwick Airport website.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport operates on a wholly commercial basis and at arm’s length from the Scottish Government. Details of commercial contracts – including end dates – are commercially sensitive.

Any repair work or potential upgrades to Prestwick Station are the responsibility of the owner, Glasgow Prestwick Airport, who operate on a wholly commercial basis.

Glasgow Prestwick Airport published their Strategic Vision in October 2014. This built upon a business plan that was developed by a senior adviser and included as much of his work as possible without impinging on commercial confidentiality and the airport’s ability to operate commercially. Glasgow Prestwick Airport is finalising a new 5 year Strategic Plan for 2017 – 2022 now and this will be published shortly.

The overall aim set out in the Strategic Vision published in October 2014 was to operate the airport in a safe, cost-effective and efficient manner and to develop and enhance its variety of business interests in order to return it to profitability, with the long-term intention of returning it to the private sector.

Prestwick Airport is a non-typical airport where success is not predicated on passenger traffic or any one business area alone. There are a number of opportunities for the airport’s management team to build on, including increasing freight and passenger traffic, fixed base operations, maintenance, repair and overhaul, property and it is very well placed to provide world class facilities for the UK Spaceport program.

The following table provides the number of Ryanair scheduled flights by month until October 2017. The schedule for winter 2017-18 has yet to be confirmed.

These figures are subject to change.

European Directive 2014/24/EU on Public Procurement introduced the concept of a European Single Procurement Document (ESPD) for public procurements and this has been given effect in Scotland in the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. When bidding for a public contract, all companies are required to submit an ESPD as a formal statement declaring that they do not breach any of the exclusion grounds, and that they meet any minimum standards set by the buying organisation in relation to their capacity and capability to perform the contract.

In addition, statutory guidance published in March 2016 under the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, states that the ESPD should also be used for regulated procurements below the EU contract threshold values.

As part of the process of implementing the 2015 Regulations, a public consultation asked whether the Regulations should require or to give discretion to public bodies to verify whether there are grounds for the exclusion of subcontractors, in some limited circumstances through the use of the ESPD. The 2015 Regulations support the overwhelming view of responses, which was for public bodies to have discretion to decide when it is appropriate to ask for that information based on each individual case.